Saving Money On Christmas & Holiday Cards!

Ahh, Thanksgiving is over, the decorations are up (unless you’re a procrastinator like me, lol!) and it’s finally time to relax and make some homemade Tea Cake Cookies!

Except you have this one big project looming over your head that you have to get done soon… CARDS!

And have you priced cards lately?  They seem to go up in price every time I look.  $2 for a customized photo card?  Really?  with 50 people on your list, that’s $100 for the cards + $44 to mail those 100 cards too.  That sure is an expensive part of the holidays!!  I don’t know about you guys, but I could do a ton with $144 (like eat for two weeks, lol!)

So if you’re looking to cut back on your Christmas or holiday card budget this year, here are a few options:

::  Send Email Cards ::

There are a few people that I get email cards from each year and I always think, “wow, I should do that!”  How many of you actually keep everyone’s photo card every year?  Don’t most of them end up in the trash after the holidays?  While I would love to keep them all, it’s not not possible.

The whole goal is to let others know how you are doing, wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays and show them how much the kids have grown this year, right?  ALL of those things can be accomplished via email!

Another option is to just send the nice cards to family and those friends who will actually KEEP them, and then send an email card to everyone else with a family update!

American Greetings and Blue Mountain are two places that have great eCard options!  Or you can just type up a nice email letter and attach your family photo!  🙂

::  Make Your Own & Print ::

This is my favorite.  It does take a little more time, and some sort of photo editing software, but it works great!

Here’s what I did last year…

I’m not really creative AT ALL on my own, but I can copy creative things!  🙂  So, I found a card that I like from one of the online photo card stores.

I used that basic design and color scheme and did it myself in my photo editing program.  Then I just printed it out as a regular 4×6 picture at Walgreens for around 10¢ each!  MUCH MUCH less than regular photo cards!

::  Use Old Holiday Cards As Postcards ::

This is an awesome idea for those who want to send out cards, but aren’t sending pictures or letters this year.  Take the holiday cards that you got last year, cut them in half, and send the front half as a postcard!!  The stamps cost less too, so you’re saving all around!

(And if you’re not sending a customized card, then be sure to take advantage of the awesome card sales after the holidays are over!!)

::  Send DIFFERENT Cards ::

Who says everyone on your has to have the same card?  You could grab the 25 free cards from SeeHere and then your other cards with other great photo deals!

Sure, it takes a little more time to create several cards, but you could really save big here!

::  Rotate Who You Send Cards To ::

Where’s the rule that EVERYONE on your list has to get a card EVERY year?   Yes, there will likely always be certain people who get a physical card every year, but why not rotate the others on your list to get a physical card every other year instead of every year?  Then the other half of the list could get an eCard!

What about you guys?  What are your favorite ways to save on holiday cards?

Be sure to check out all of the other AWESOME blogs that are participating in the 12 Days Of Christmas series:

Christmas Homeschool Fun: 1+1+1=1
Christmas Decorations: Songbird
Tips for a Healthy Holiday: The Thrifty Mama
Travel Tips: Mom’s Travel Tales
Christmas Recipes: Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Christmas Family Fun: Life as Mom
Homemade Christmas Gifts: The Happy Housewife